Nelson Mandela Research Paper

Nelson Mandela will always be remembered as a hero because of his profound impact on South Africa to save the people from suffering and give them a great deal of justice, equity and freedom. Mandela was symbolised as a voice of the people and a man made of steel that strived South Africa to have equal rights. His strength of character that repeatedly tested throughout his long and hardworking journey, that made him one of the towering political figures of our time. He did many heroic things along his journey of becoming one of the greatest and unique human beings. But to every great hero, just doesn’t include the achievements, also the imperfections and uncertainties of the dark side.

Whilst Mandela was on the struggling battle to fight for what he believed in, which was having equal human rights for Africans and white people instead of one group of a race having domination over others, he was also struggling with problems and complications on the dark side of his life. Rolihlahla (meaning troublemaker) Mandela was born in
Transkei, South Africa on 18 July 1918 and was given the name of Nelson by one of his teachers. His father Henry was a respected advisor to the Thembu royal family.
A heroic achievement includes him taking part of the African National Congress.
The ANC was found in 1912, to unite the African people against white minority ruling. Their aim has always been to create a non-racial and democratic South Africa. Mandela joined the ANC in 1943. Nelson Mandela and ANC have become almost synonymous. He had never lost his vision for the ideals that the ANC stands for. In 1948, the National Party came to power and began to implement a policy of 'apartheid', or forced segregation on the basis of race. The ANC staged a campaign of passive resistance against apartheid laws. In 1952, Mandela became one of the ANC's deputy presidents. In the 1950s, faced with the increasing government discrimination. Mandela, his friend Oliver Tambo and others began to move the ANC in a different and more radical direction. In 1956, Mandela went on trial for treason. His court case lasted five years, in the end he was declared
innocent.

An imperfection of Mandela’s life includes the difficulties he had with his marriages and having multiple wives. Mandela escaped an arranged marriage at 22 years old. In 1944, he married his first wife Evelyn Mase and their marriage lasted till 1958. Cracks appeared in their marriage as a result of the overwhelming demands of his political activism, which lowered and limited his family commitments. He was also alleged to be seeing another woman, which resulted Evelyn to leave him. He married Winnie Madikiezela in 1958, three months after his divorce with Evelyn Mase. Mandela committed very little to his marriage and time for domestic bliss as Mandela found himself leading his movement and the ANC to confrontation against the apartheid. They were still married whilst he was in prison and despite the love letters and prison visits, Winnie was alleged for affairs with other men. Six years after his release they divorced. Mandela also supported Winnie for neck lacing demonstrators. Less than two years later, Mandela married Graca Machel. Mandela and Machel where married until his passing. Mandela was not shown as a fatherly figure.

Another heroic thing Nelson Mandela did was that he never gave up and he became a symbol of the apartheid. In March 1960, 69 black anti-apartheid demonstrators were killed by police at Sharpeville, which was labeled as the Sharpeville Massacre. The government declared a state of emergency and banned the ANC rejected it’s policy of non-violence and Mandela helped the ANC’s military wing ‘Umkhonto we Sizwe’ or ‘The Spear of the Nation’. He was appointed its commander-in-chief and travelled abroad to receive military training and to find support for the ANC. In 1963, Mandela and other tried to overthrow the government with violence. The following year Mandela was sentenced to life imprisonment in the Robben Island prison. During his years in prison he became an international symbol of resistance to apartheid. Protests had spread and international pressures for the end of apartheid were increasing. The President of South Africa finally responded to releases Mandela and let him walk freely on February 11th 1990.

Another heroic achievement is that Nelson Mandela was the first democratic black president of South Africa. As president, Mandela worked to ease the dangerous political differences in his country and to build up the South African economy. To a remarkable degree he was successful in his aims. Mandela's skill at building compromise and his enormous personal authority helped him lead the transition to democracy. He also received the Noble Peace Prize in 1993, for his greatest achievements. I think he will always be remembered as a hero and the one of greatest man who ever lived. His fight for freedom was a triumph and he led the local people of South Africa to justice and victory. Despite his imperfections and uncertainties he will always be hero. The heroic things that Nelson Mandela did, characterized him more, and the imperfections were pushed aside. All humans have these imperfections, not everyone is perfect and well all do heroic things that impact our lives and characterize the person we are. Even though South Africa has lost one of its greatest sons, Mandela’s legacy will continue to live on.